Contributions of the PURE Study to the Definition of a Healthy Diet for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are currently the leading cause of mortality in Latin America and worldwide. The main population-attributable risk factors for CVD are hypertension, obesity, tobacco use, low muscular strength, and diabetes, while for overall mortality they are tobacco use, hypertension, low educational attainment, obesity, and diabetes. Most of these factors are related to diet and nutrition; therefore, this study reviews the evidence supporting the development of the PURE healthy diet, based on an analysis that included data from more than 245,000 individuals across 80 countries with high-, middle-, and low-income levels. Diet quality, with an emphasis on diversifying the intake of different protective food groups, is associated with up to a 30% reduction in the risk of death from any cause and a 20% reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The PURE healthy diet recommends adequate consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, and whole-fat dairy products (non-skimmed). The recommendations of the PURE healthy diet should be considered in the development of food policies by governments, academia, the private sector, and civil society, in order to identify solutions that account for the complexity of food systems, as well as to increase the availability, acceptability, and access to and consumption of food groups identified as protective against the risk of developing CVD.